BRADY DEFIES ODDS AND AGING PROCESS
He’s 39 years old and it’s hard to decide which element of Tom Brady’s game is the most mindblowing at the moment.
Pro Football Focus currently has Brady rated as the NFL’s most accurate quarterback while under pressure, completing 95 percent of his passes in the face of a rush. That’s certainly impressive.
So is Brady’s league-leading completion percentage (75.2) and passer rating (132.6). To put that in perspective, the quarterbacks behind Brady in each category aren’t anywhere near him, as Dak Prescott has a 68.7 completion percentage, and Matt Ryan a 113.6 passer rating.
But seeing the two-time Super Bowl MVP last week against the Steelers, avoiding sacks, buying time, and picking up yards and key first downs with some nifty scrambling, and you can’t help but marvel at how spry he looks. It’s been that way since Brady stepped back on the playing field in Week 5 after completing his suspension.
Now that might actually be the most striking feature of all, because Brady has never been known for his foot speed by any stretch. Put it all together, the accuracy, the command, his movement in the pocket, and he’s never looked better.
Four-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback Terry Bradshaw isn’t surprised to see Brady on fire, but then again, quarterbacks his age aren’t supposed to be this good.
“It’s just Brady. He’s 39 and doesn’t look like he’s missed a beat,” Bradshaw told the Herald Friday. “He’s comfortable back there, and is just lightin’ it up. You know what he’s going to do, you try to stop it . . . (but) they just do such a good job with their offense. He’s just so well-respected. (Teammates) play so hard for him. That’s the ultimate compliment.”
Former NFL quarterback Boomer Esiason believes Brady is merely adding to a resume that will ultimately be unmatched.
“Hey, I’ve said it, and I’ll say it again. What he’s doing, he’s redefining the position and creating a legacy for himself that will stand above all others,” Esiason, now a CBS analyst, told the Herald Friday. “It doesn’t look like it’s going to end any time soon.”
In terms of how good he looks moving in the pocket, perhaps the downtime from the suspension kept his legs fresher. That notion, however, didn’t hold much weight with Brady or with others when asked about it last week.
In fact, according to his body coach, Alex Guerrero, Brady ramped up the regimen that’s geared toward running and quickness while he was in football exile those four weeks. And, looking at the overall picture, what we’re seeing now, Guerrero said, is what they’ve been building toward the past few years with intensive resistance and quickness work. It’s been a process, making sure he not only doesn’t lose any quickness, but takes it up a notch.
“In small little increments, he looks great. But it’s not like you look at him, and go, ‘Oh my gosh, he’s so fast,’ ” Guerrero told the Herald Wednesday. “But he certainly is faster than he was years ago. And as he’s aging, he’s not getting slower. I think that’s what we’ve worked really hard toward doing. When he was off, we certainly worked every day to maintain his quickness and speed.”
Whatever the spark, the level he’s playing at is stunning. Those who know him, or have played the position, merely chalk it up to Brady being Brady, as opposed to gaining some advantage from missed games.
“I think the bigger story is how well Tom takes care of himself. We’ve seen all the stories about his crazy diet and all that, but I know he works out and takes care of his body. I think that’s the bigger story and ultimately will allow him to play as long as he wants to play,” Patriots Hall of Fame quarterback Drew Bledsoe told the Herald Friday. “That, and the fact they protect him very well, he gets the ball out of his hands quickly, and he doesn’t get hit very much. Those are the things that are going to allow him to play a lot longer.”
Bradshaw brought up another motivator. He invoked the dreaded “D” word.
“Let’s not forget, he’s fighting for his reputation with the Deflategate thing,” the Hall of Famer said. “He has come back quietly. But you know his commitment (level) is boiling over. He won’t say it, but it just seems to me he is so focused.
“I just have such great respect for him, and he’s been so classy about it.. (Commissioner Roger) Goodell went after him and the Patriots. It’s silly what’s gone on. But I guarantee there’s some fire in his butt because of it.”
Bledsoe also pointed to the four-week exile further stoking Brady’s desire and love of the game.
“When you miss time, it does eliminate some hits and some wear and tear on your body,” Bledsoe said, “but, also, it kind of reminds you how much you appreciate and love the game, when you’re forced to miss games ... that might be part of it as well for Tom.”
Bledsoe said what makes Brady’s case unique is the timing of his skills being so sharp. That’s because he remembers what he was like at 39, and how he couldn’t maintain his skill level.
“When you get to the point you understand the game completely, and know what’s going on, usually that’s about the time your skills start to diminish and your body usually starts to give out,” Bled--
soe said. “But for Tom, because he’s playing in an offense and an era where you don’t get hit as much, and because he takes such great care of himself, he’s not seeing his skills diminish.
“He’s got mastery of the game, an exceptional team around him, and he’s in great shape. Put all of those factors together, and it turns into something where he can play at a high level for quite awhile.”
Said Esiason: “I can’t remember the last time a 39-year-old quarterback looked as good. Nothing they do up there (in Foxboro) and nothing they accomplish up there surprises me anymore. And when you look at their offense, and appreciate the difficulties defenses are going to have because of multiple facets of this offense, it should continue the way it’s going.”
More trades in store?
The Patriots have been active in advance of Tuesday’s trade deadline, acquiring linebacker Kyle Van
Noy from Detroit and shipping tight end A.J. Derby to Denver.
Might we see more wheeling and dealing from Bill Belichick? Sure, if the price is right. Plus, more needs might present themselves after today’s game in Buffalo.
No doubt, cellar dwelling teams such as the Browns, Bears and 49ers might be looking to trade some high-priced players for draft picks. If you’re talking the Browns, the Pats would likely be intrigued if cornerback Joe Haden were available. But again, at the right price, which is a big if. With the 49ers, tackle Joe Staley is the prize catch. But, if reports are true, what they’d be looking for in return already sounds too prohibitive.
McGinest: Give us credit
Patriots legend Willie McGinest, a 2016 preliminary Hall of Fame nominee, was a guest on Talk of Fame radio last week. Even though he has three Super Bowl rings and the most sacks in NFL postseason history (16), two more than Hall of Famer Bruce Smith, McGinest is considered a longshot for entry given the Patriots’ team-first philosophy.
He offered an interesting perspective on why he and his defensive teammates on the Patriots should be looked at differently when voters are considering them for the Hall.
“We created something that wasn’t really popular,’’ McGinest told the radio hosts. “It wasn’t popular to be about team. It’s popular to be about the individual. We bought into team success. That’s what made us so special.
“That should be taken into consideration. I didn’t play to get to the Pro Bowl or the Hall of Fame. I played to win Super Bowls. The Hall of Fame was never in my mind. In our system, your role changed every week. If I was strictly a pass rusher, I would have had 125 sacks, but 2530 percent of the time, the game plan dictated whether I rushed. Some games my rushing opportunities were limited. I never came off the field. I did what was best for my team.’’
And that helped the Patriots to three Super Bowl titles in four years.
Fitz playing like madman
Ryan Fitzpatrick stirred a lot of reactions last Sunday when he said he didn’t think the Jets believed in him after being benched. He stood by those words during the week, wouldn’t elaborate any more, except to say what mattered most was that he believed in himself.
“That’s basically who I care about, when I look in the mirror,” Fitzpatrick told NJ.com.
The former Harvard quarterback, who lost his job after a 1-5 start and double-digit interceptions, also said he would be playing “pissed off” going forward.
“My angry is probably a little different than other people’s angry,” he said Wednesday. “My angry is still pretty controlled. I think that has been a mentality that I’ve had my whole career, in terms of what I feel about myself, versus plenty of doubters out there. I think that may help me in my play.”
Jets coach Todd Bowles had a pretty good comeback to Fitzpatrick’s remarks.
“If pissed off is going to stop the turnovers, then I’m more than happy to have him pissed off the whole time,” Bowles said. “This is a show-me game.”
’Boys buoyed by Romo
Cowboys quarterback Tony
Romo was back on the practice field last week, and several players noted how much of a motivation his presence was for the team.
“Seeing him out there supporting the guys, coaching everybody up, making sure everyone is doing the things that they need to be doing — that motivates you,” wide receiver Dez Bryant told the Star-Telegram. “That gets you going. If that type of stuff don’t get you going, something got to be wrong.” Said rookie running back Ezekiel Elliott: “It was good to see him back out there. He’s been working his tail off to get back healthy. You could tell. It was good to see him back out there throwing balls.”
Rookie Dak Prescott has led the team to an impressive 5-1 start, so the powers that be will have an interesting decision to make once Romo, who fractured a bone in his back during the preseason, is ready to be activated.